As a PR professional in the heart of Vietnam & Southeast-Asia, Ivy Nhi Chau – Founder & CEO of Ivy+Partners, witnessed countless tech startups struggle to be heard. As an entrepreneur myself, she saw this frustration firsthand, she understand that in the ever-evolving realm of tech startups, capturing attention and earning the trust of your audience can make or break your ventures.

Beyond Press Releases: Unveiling the Power of PR

But how can this official definition apply to tech startups? Quite simply: it means crafting a narrative that resonates with your target customers, investors, employess, the media, and the public using various PR tactics to tell your story behind your brand and your products.

PR is more than just issuing press releases or holding press conferences. In Ivy’s day to day running of her own company – Ivy+Partners, she endeavors to showcase that PR encompasses a broad spectrum of activities. From media interviews and influencer collaborations to launch events and community engagement initiatives, Ivy+Partners encompasses a diverse array of strategic endeavors aimed at fostering meaningful connections and communication.

Investing in PR shouldn’t be optional; it’s a necessity to carve a niche in the market. PR is a powerful tool that drives growth by enhancing brand visibility and fostering customer trust, which is essential for converting interest into loyal customers. A positive and resilient brand image, cultivated through consistent PR efforts, acts as a buffer during crises, helping you manage setbacks effectively. Additionally, PR builds strong relationships with media and influencers, amplifying your reach and influence within relevant circles.

PR Myths Debunked

Despite the undeniable advantages of engaging in PR activities, PR often falls prey to misconceptions that can deter tech startups from utilizing its full potential. Here are some of these myths, along with the truths behind them:

PR is only for big businesses and celebrities?

PR is synonymous with manipulation?

PR is the same as marketing?

PR is expensive?

Mastering PR: The 5W1H Framework

Crafting a successful PR campaign requires a clear roadmap. This is where the 5W1H framework comes in, providing a structured approach to navigate your PR efforts.

Here’s a real example: last year, Ivy+Partners launched the #BardinVietnam campaign for our client Google to introduce their AI chatbot, Bard (now known as Gemini) to Vietnam. We applied this framework and surpassed our KPIs by an astonishing 500%!

For the “What”, we set our goal to elevate awareness of Bard in Vietnam and position it as a fun, friendly, and useful everyday AI chatbot.

Our “Who” was the mass audience including Gen Z and Millennials, we also aimed to collaborate with top-tier influencers to amplify our reach.

The “When” we strategically chose was from September to November, leveraging the Halloween theme and addressing Bard’s low voice share in Southeast Asia at that time.

The big “Why” behind was to attract new users for Bard by reframing its image and boosting its popularity. A mix of an offline event and influencers’ online channels was “Where” we decided to execute.

And “How” did we make it? A two-stage campaign! The first stage, #TricksAndTreats, aimed to introduce Bard and engage influencers through a big Halloween party with the attendance of 170+ influencers who created 700+ posts and stories about the event. During the the second stage, #BardBuddy, we connected with even more influencers to generate content about Bard’s use cases across social media and achieved 50K+ conversations, 12.1M+ views, and 743.1K+ reactions.

From Old to Gold – From Traditional PR to Holistic IMC

Traditional PR methods need to evolve to keep pace with the multifaceted media landscape. We encourage clients to embrace IMC – the process of unifying your brand’s messaging across all media channels to ensure consistency. IMC blends traditional PR with website content, social media, influencer marketing, advertising, email marketing, events, webinars, SEO, content marketing, personal branding, and more. This comprehensive approach ensures that your message is coherent and compelling across all touchpoints.

By aligning PR efforts with these diverse components, IMC enhances your brand’s credibility, expands its reach, and optimizes resource allocation. This synergy not only amplifies your PR campaigns but also integrates them into a broader, cohesive strategy that supports your business objectives and drives sustained growth.

It’s Time for Personal Branding

Have you ever considered the potential of transforming your team into brand ambassadors? By nurturing employee pride and encouraging them to share their enthusiasm for your brand, you can ignite organic word-of-mouth promotion. It’s absolutely counted as one of the PR tactics! Keep inmind that in today’s human-centric world, people crave connections with authentic individuals, not just corporate entities.

Furthermore, just as any team member can embody your brand, there’s no reason a leader shouldn’t leverage personal branding to attract investors and top talent. Ivy can personally attest to this as building her own image has been an eye-opening experience. It’s incredible how it expands my network and opens doors to opportunities. Whether you’re actively involved in your startup or charting your career path elsewhere, your personal branding travels with you throughout your entire career journey.

At the end of the day, PR thrives on a two-way street. Sometimes, you might not have complete control over the final public message, but you should know that’s the beauty of organic and authentic communication. Authenticity is the heart of PR, the key to unlocking long-term success. Embrace this lack of control – it fosters genuine conversations, allows the public to co-create your brand narrative, and ultimately builds stronger, more loyal relationships.

Ready to start? Ivy+Partners is here to be your trusted PR partner.